British grandmaster Gawain Jones will be based in New Zealand for the next ten months, affording a welcome opportunity for local players to benefit from his skill. He has moved to Wellington with his New Zealand girlfriend WFM Sue Maroroa, one of both our top female players and top juniors.
Both were in Christchurch for the All-Canterbury Championship over Labour Weekend, the first open tournament to be held in the Canterbury Chess Club's new venue in Riccarton. Jones suffered only one scare – a draw to David Wood, before dispatching all his closest rivals to win with 5½/6. Second place went to Ross Jackson (Wellington) on 5 ahead of Brian Nijman, Edward Lee (both Wellington), FM Roger Nokes, David Wood and Matthew McNabb (all Canterbury) equal third on 4. Mararoa won the junior prize, finishing on 3½.
Today's game is Jones game against Hamish Gold, who was rewarded for his journey from Dunedin to Christchurch with the black pieces against the grandmaster in the first round.
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e5!?
In the Budapest Gambit Black temporarily cedes a pawn to gain active piece play. Its reputation is such that it is seldom seen at the highest levels. 3.dxe5 Ng4 4.e4 Nxe5 5.f4 Ng6 6.Be3 Bb4+ 7.Nd2 Qe7 8.Qc2 Nc6 9.O-O-O Bc5!
White has responded with the aggressive Alekine variation – taking hold of the centre with pawns and castling queenside to launch an attack on the black king. But this important exchange of dark squared bishops deprives White of an attacking piece and weakens his control of the d4 square. 10.Qc3 Bxe3 11.Qxe3 d6 12.Ne2 f5?!
Black's opening had achieved a perfectly playable game when he suddenly panicks - lashing out against the White centre prematurely only weakens his own position. 12...Bg4 to exchange off the knight before it gets to d5 was preferable. White responds with a pawn thrust that puts an awkward question to the knight on g6. 13.h4! Nxh4?
Capturing the pawn develops White's rook with gain of tempo. It was better to make for a queenside getaway with 13...Bd7. 14.Nc3 fxe4 15.Nd5 Nf5 16.Qe1! ---
Not allowing the hoped-for exchange of queens. It is now too late for the black king to find safety on the queenside. 16.--- Qf7 17.g4 Nfd4 18.Nxe4 O-O
The threat was 19 Nxd6+ winning the queen, but the black king is no safer here. White already senses a mating combination. 19.Rxd4! Nxd4 20.Ng5 Re8
The point of the exchange sacrifice being that 20...Qe8 runs into 21 Ne7+ winning the queen or mating, thus gaining an extra tempo to reposition the white queen. 21.Qd2 Qd7 22.Rxh7? Ne6?
Rather than simply taking the knight, White was fixated on the mating combination that follows from the position in today's diagram, which Black fails to prevent. Instead Black could have put up strong resistance with the following brilliant defence: 22 ... Qxg4!! 23 Rh8+! Kxh8 24 Qh2+ Qh3! 25 Bxh3 Re1+ 26 Kd2 Re2+ 27 Qxe2 Nxe2 28 Bxc8 Rxc8 29 Kxe2 Re8+ 30 Kd3 c6 and Black has drawing chances with rook and pawn for two knights. The lesson is that even a grandmaster can slip up against an alert player. 23.Rh8+! Kxh8 24.Qh2+ Kg8 25.Qh7+ Kf8 26.Qh8 mate
Grandmaster appearance at All-Canterbury
Problem: White to play and mate in four.
British grandmaster Gawain Jones will be based in New Zealand for the next ten months, affording a welcome opportunity for local players to benefit from his skill. He has moved to Wellington with his New Zealand girlfriend WFM Sue Maroroa, one of both our top female players and top juniors.
Both were in Christchurch for the All-Canterbury Championship over Labour Weekend, the first open tournament to be held in the Canterbury Chess Club's new venue in Riccarton. Jones suffered only one scare – a draw to David Wood, before dispatching all his closest rivals to win with 5½/6. Second place went to Ross Jackson (Wellington) on 5 ahead of Brian Nijman, Edward Lee (both Wellington), FM Roger Nokes, David Wood and Matthew McNabb (all Canterbury) equal third on 4. Mararoa won the junior prize, finishing on 3½.
Today's game is Jones game against Hamish Gold, who was rewarded for his journey from Dunedin to Christchurch with the black pieces against the grandmaster in the first round.
1.d4 Nf6
2.c4 e5!?
In the Budapest Gambit Black temporarily cedes a pawn to gain active piece play. Its reputation is such that it is seldom seen at the highest levels.
3.dxe5 Ng4
4.e4 Nxe5
5.f4 Ng6
6.Be3 Bb4+
7.Nd2 Qe7
8.Qc2 Nc6
9.O-O-O Bc5!
White has responded with the aggressive Alekine variation – taking hold of the centre with pawns and castling queenside to launch an attack on the black king. But this important exchange of dark squared bishops deprives White of an attacking piece and weakens his control of the d4 square.
10.Qc3 Bxe3
11.Qxe3 d6
12.Ne2 f5?!
Black's opening had achieved a perfectly playable game when he suddenly panicks - lashing out against the White centre prematurely only weakens his own position. 12...Bg4 to exchange off the knight before it gets to d5 was preferable. White responds with a pawn thrust that puts an awkward question to the knight on g6.
13.h4! Nxh4?
Capturing the pawn develops White's rook with gain of tempo. It was better to make for a queenside getaway with 13...Bd7.
14.Nc3 fxe4
15.Nd5 Nf5
16.Qe1! ---
Not allowing the hoped-for exchange of queens. It is now too late for the black king to find safety on the queenside.
16.--- Qf7
17.g4 Nfd4
18.Nxe4 O-O
The threat was 19 Nxd6+ winning the queen, but the black king is no safer here. White already senses a mating combination.
19.Rxd4! Nxd4
20.Ng5 Re8
The point of the exchange sacrifice being that 20...Qe8 runs into 21 Ne7+ winning the queen or mating, thus gaining an extra tempo to reposition the white queen.
21.Qd2 Qd7
22.Rxh7? Ne6?
Rather than simply taking the knight, White was fixated on the mating combination that follows from the position in today's diagram, which Black fails to prevent. Instead Black could have put up strong resistance with the following brilliant defence: 22 ... Qxg4!! 23 Rh8+! Kxh8 24 Qh2+ Qh3! 25 Bxh3 Re1+ 26 Kd2 Re2+ 27 Qxe2 Nxe2 28 Bxc8 Rxc8 29 Kxe2 Re8+ 30 Kd3 c6 and Black has drawing chances with rook and pawn for two knights. The lesson is that even a grandmaster can slip up against an alert player.
23.Rh8+! Kxh8
24.Qh2+ Kg8
25.Qh7+ Kf8
26.Qh8 mate
1-0
Solution: 1 Rh8+! Kxh8 2 Qh2+ Kg8 3 Qh7+ Kf8 4 Qh8#.